The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1887-02-11
SEEING 4 GHOST.
stcYy from .he DissectIns Room.

Ned Adams, q iauitor Of New York.
was once employed in the Bellevue Hos
pitaI College. He relates an experience
he had there which may well make
leach particular hair to stand on end
This is how he told it 70 reporter OF
the Herald:
Il had charge of the dissecting room
Of Bellevue Hospital College from 1864
to 1870, and it was a part Of my duty TO
sleep in that institution.
ITO this. however, l did not object from
the very first, for, though l was ainas !"
/ that big building, which is ono = she
ImOSt weird and melancholy looking i'll
IstitutiOnS in the entire city, had hCc1 50
Imu"h accustomed to the presence OF
| dead bodies that 1 began TO like it quite
well
NV room was situated directly next
IdOOr to the dissecting room, and in
Ithis diSSccting room lay upward OF one
hundred and fifty cadavers in various
forms Of mutilatIOn.
For one who has spent the greater part
of his life among such associations
and we are for the most part creatures
of habit-vOu can readily perceive that
il required no very great degree OF moral
courage to accomplish this. And then,
again l never believed in ghosts and
laughed heartily whenever l heard men-
tiou of them.
AT tkut time as now, DR.. Austin Flint,
Jr.. was the professor of physiology, ana
he took great delight in experimenting
on living animals for the benefit OF his
class The puadruped that best suited
his purpose in this respect was the dog,
and he always kept an abundant supply
of these animals on hand.
u need hardly remark that they were
not of the very best specimens or the
canine race and did not possess as much
intelligence as others OF their species.
They were fed largely on meat, and
seemed to be getting along very well In
deed.
These dogs occupied a room next to
mine which was separated by a very mar
row partition. and l could very readily
hear the least noise that was made Ny
self and the dogs were therefore the sole
occupants Of that immense building. The
dogs never once broke the quietude that
prevailed at night and II they only oc-
casionally did so it would not be such a
bad thing after all.
As / had occasion to rise early, gen
era.ly about five o'clock in the morning,
was always In my bed at ten, and never
found much difficulty in procuring sleep,
and l was always as methodIcal as a
clock in this respect.
1t was on the 4th day of October.
1870, and l had gone to bed at the usual
time. II was a fine. clear night and eX-
ceptionaIv warm for that time of the
year A large English clock hung in
my room, and as there was always light
burning low I could from my bed dis
tinctly see the face of the clock.
4 did not feel as sleepy on that night
as was customary with me, and | attri-
buted it somewhat TO the heat Of the
day. I rolled in my bed for quite time
and when l again turned 70 the clock l
saw it was close on midnight.
Il now began to pass into a kind Of
stupOr hale asleep and half awake, when
all at once 1 fancied 1 heard n low, sup
pressed cry as IL Of some one in great
agony Of mind. This was followed by the
yelp Ofthe dogs and then a low prolonged
growl a. such animals generally make
when about to attack some one. This
was maintained for quite a while and
1 kept my ear intently listening all the
time.
Orfrc human voice. | rubbed my eyes
W % my hand and stood up in the bed to
q. rv.. myself that l was not dreaming,
an clmo to the conclusion that il was
pvr..:.pS some woman who remained In
the building over night. The voice GER
tainly was Of the sharp, shTill character
OF a woman.
''All this time was not one bit afraid,
and proceeded to dress myself to ascer-
tam the cause OF the cOmmOtiOn. put on
NV pautaloOuS and waistcoat and walked
out in my bare feet.
when I reached the room where the
dogs were I opened the door gently and
peepcd in Good heavens Right in the
middle OF the dogs stood a strange
woman, all in white and as / looked In
upon her she threw a glance at me that
almost froze the blood in my veins.
Presently the door flew open, ap-
parently of its own accord, and the
strange form glided out and passed into
the dissecting room. l tried to follow it,
and as 1 did so she raised her hand in a
menacing attitude and suddenly disap-
peared from sight.
There was not a spot in that room
was not familiar with, and l knew there
were no secret trapdOOrs through which
she could descend. Right in sight OF me
the ground seemed to open up in front OF
of her and she TO disappear from view.
Il need not tell you that l slept but
little that night. l did not in fact, go to
bed at all, but sat on the side of it with
my clothes on, and l longed eagerly for
the return of the day.
Il tried in my mind to explain the
cause of the extraordinary phenomenon,
but every time the difficulty grew greater,
and If had been any way under the in
huence OF liquor I might attribute it to
some morbid condition of the nervous
system induced by over stimulation. But
the fact remained and l could not dispute
the evidence of my senses.
THE next day / handed in my resigna-
lion TO the faculty, but made no reference
to the cause of my leaving. l have never
visited dissecting room since that night,
and never will again II live for hundred
years"